So here is a mix to bring in good karma, feel-good vibes, oppourtunities for nostalgic reflection, warmth, smiles and compulsive fits of dancing, for good measure.
Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to hoping that 2008 will end up being bad-ass enough to show up last year.
1. The Walkmen - New Years Eve
Smooth, sweeping piano melodies combined with slashing cymbals and gruff vocals provide a song for you to sway your way into the new year. Irresistable; you could even slow dance to this one all by yourself.
I'm so glad I found out about this band before the year officially ended! This British electro-rock outfit have been sneakily providing shouty, in-your-face dance music, reminiscent of their NY counterparts, The Rapture. This cheeky little song is one of my favourites. Seriously, I'm thinking it should be crowned song of the year. Listen, listen, listen!
I swear, this song is magic. I fell in love with it ever since I heard it over the closing credits of Empire Records whilst the cast was dancing away into the night atop the record store building's roof. The vocals are smooth and croony without being annoying, and the chorus is the sort you can sing along to out loud, waving your hands in the air, out the car window. And yes, it's okay if you look like a complete idiot - most probably everyone else is just insanely jealous of your impecable taste in music. This is the song that will start your year off in the best way possible.
I have this thing where I don't like Beatles' covers. I find it hard to believe that a singer/songwriter/musician who isn't someone from the actual band can really do justice to any of their songs. This is also probably why the Across The Universe soundtrack was such a major disappointment to me, even though I'd been really, really curious about how the film had turned out. But there is this guy called Fionn Regan and he is Irish and plays guitar and has a wonderful voice (kind of like a younger Damien Rice?) and did a lovely acoustic version of 'Getting Better' when he paid a visit to the BBC Radio 1 Studios. He retells the story of someone trying to make a concious effort to turn things around in hopes that they can put any and all douchebaggery to an end in a sincere tone, and the fact that this song is only accompanied by guitar makes the feel of the song all the more intimate. So I'm going to make a suggestion: listen to this song, and don't compare it the original, and you just might warm up to it.
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